The subject matter disclosed herein relates to nucleic acid amplification in a porous substrate.
Caregivers may use diagnostic tests to determine if a patient has a particular clinical condition. Such tests may be performed by testing a patient sample (e.g., blood or urine) for the presence of one or more markers such as proteins or small molecules and, depending on their complexity, the tests may be performed in a dedicated testing laboratory or at the point of care, e.g., in the doctor's office or in the field. However, in certain circumstances, a diagnostic test may be a test for the presence of a particular nucleic acid sequence, either sequences in the patient's own genetic material or sequences associated with pathogenic infection. Relative to proteins or small molecule markers, a given nucleic acid sequence may be present in relatively low concentrations in a given biological sample. Accordingly, many techniques for assessing the presence or concentration of a nucleic acid sequence of interest rely on amplification techniques that enrich the sample by amplifying the sequence of interest. For example, nucleic acid testing may be performed via PCR-based amplification techniques, which are relatively complex and are typically performed by skilled technicians using specialized devices.